Poll: 2 in 3 unable to get swine flu vaccine

Swine flu

Associated Press

Published
4:00 am PST, Saturday, November 7, 2009

Nicole Andreacchio, center, who is seven months pregnant waits in line to receive the swine flu vaccine from the Montgomery County Health Department at Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) less

Nicole Andreacchio, center, who is seven months pregnant waits in line to receive the swine flu vaccine from the Montgomery County Health Department at Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen, Pa., Thursday, Oct. ... more

Photo: Matt Rourke, AP

Photo: Matt Rourke, AP

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Nicole Andreacchio, center, who is seven months pregnant waits in line to receive the swine flu vaccine from the Montgomery County Health Department at Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) less

Nicole Andreacchio, center, who is seven months pregnant waits in line to receive the swine flu vaccine from the Montgomery County Health Department at Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen, Pa., Thursday, Oct. ... more

Photo: Matt Rourke, AP

Poll: 2 in 3 unable to get swine flu vaccine

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Only about a third of adults who have tried to get a swine flu vaccination have been able to obtain one, according to a new national poll released Friday.

That's true even for people who are at extra risk for severe complications and should be at the front of the line. The numbers are about the same for parents who tried to get the vaccine for their children, the Harvard School of Public Health poll found.

Swine flu vaccine has been available in the United States for about a month, but supplies have been limited because of manufacturing delays. However, availability is picking up, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 38 million doses of swine flu are currently available, a one-week increase of about 11 million doses. An additional 8 million doses are expected next week, she added.

The Harvard telephone poll surveyed about 1,000 adults last weekend. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Many of the poll's findings seemed consistent with what the government has been hearing and seeing, said CDC officials. Nearly a third of Americans who tried and failed to get vaccine said they were very frustrated, the poll found, and that frustration has been evident at long lines at vaccination clinics.

CDC officials said 129 children have died from swine flu complications since the virus was first identified in April. About two-thirds of them had other health conditions, like asthma or neurological problems like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.